Forget batons or Tasers - could microphones be the PSNI's latest weapon against crime?

One 'police officer' hit the right note with the public - serenading shoppers in Newtownards.

The bobby has racked up a huge online following after his pitch-perfect rendition of 'That's Amore' - but all is not as it seems.

Several surprised onlookers were duped by the singer's PSNI uniform and shared footage of Saturday's performance on social media.

Most praised the 'cop's' singing ability - while some of those fooled queried whether blasting out tunes was a proper use of the PSNI's squeezed resources.

Social media users sucked in by the performance commented: "Brilliant! Great for community relations!"

Another said: "If this is a real cop he should be doing his job - what the taxpayer pays for."

But it seems highly unlikely senior officers will be reaching for the microphone to fight crime any time soon.

A PSNI source confirmed the singer was not a member of the service.

He added: "He is an actor but many of our officers can hit the high notes.

"There are a lot of multi-talented people within our ranks."

That was demonstrated in June when a PSNI officer's rapping ability went viral online.

Known only as 'rapping Rab' the officer became an internet sensation after hilarious footage emerged of him having a laugh with revellers.

Patrolling during a night out in the Co Down seaside town Newcastle, the officer was confronted by two young girls singing along to an old-school club hit.

But instead of telling them to quieten down and move along - the officer made their night, as you can see in the video .

Joining in with the girls who were singing along to DJ Pied Piper & The MC's hit 'Do You Really Like It', the officer - who will forever be known as 'rapping Rab' - certainly made an impression singing away.

And his fellow colleagues were clearly proud of his efforts, sharing the footage on PSNI Down's Facebook page.